Meat-hanger.



(No Model.)

J. J. FITZGERALD.

MEAT HANGER.

(Application filed July 14, 1899.)

Patented Dec. 19, I899.

-* Futon,

JOHN J. FITZGERALD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FITZGERALD MEAT TREE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

M EAT-HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,549, dated December 19, 1899.

Application filed July 14:. 1899. Serial No. 723,802. (No model.)

T to 1071,0122 it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN J. FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat-Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in meat-hangers; and it consists in certain pcculiarities of the construction, novel arrange ment, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The objects of my invention are to provide simple and efficient means for hanging, handling, and transferring from one place to another various kinds of meat in the processes of smoking, curing, and chilling the same, to furnish devices of the above-named characzo ter upon which large quantities of meat may be hungin such a manner as to permit of its being readily and properly smoked, chilled, or cured and so as to prevent the loss of space in the smoke-house or chilling-room incident to the old method of hanging meat.

Another object of my invention is to provide meat-hangers which may be moved from one place to another by means of an elevated rail and wheel or trolley, thus saving much 0 time and labor and the number of times in handling each piece of meat separately.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings,

in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my hanger, showing the parts in position ready for use. Fig. 2 is a fragmental plan View,

partly in section, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1,

looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing a part of the hanger; and Fig. dis a crosssectional view of one of the meat-supporting rails, taken on line 4: 4 of Fig. 3.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

A represents the main or supporting frame of my hanger, which may be made of any suitable size, form, and material, but is preferably substantially rectangular in shape and composed of tubular sections or pieces a, con nected together at their ends by means of elbow-couplings a or otherwise. The upper part or piece a when the frame is made of sections or pieces is provided with a bracket a in which is located a swiveled ring a to engage a supporting hook, (not shown,) which is usually connected to a wheel or trol- 6o ley to operate on an elevated rail used for transferring the hanger from one place to an other. Located in a horizontal position on each of the side rails or upright parts of the main or supporting frame are a number of rails B, which are preferably made of angleiron and are secured to the side rails or upright portions of the main frame by means of collars b, which may be brazed or otherwise secured to the outer central portions of said angle-rails and are provided'with openings of suitable form to receive the upright portions of the main frame. Each of the collars may be provided with a set-screw b to fiX the rails B at the desired points on the main frame. Extending from one of the angle-rails B to the other one on a horizontal plane therewith are a number of meat-supporting rails C, which are angular in cross section, as is plainly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and are provided on their vertical portions with projections c to engage the strings or cords d, by means of which the pieces of meat D are suspended.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and S of the draw ings, the supporting-rails C rest on the base of inwardly-turned flanges of the angle irons or rails B and may be moved thereon, so as to occupy the desired position. The strings or cords d, suspending the pieces of meat D, are so placed that they will engage the proj ections c and hang over the bases or horizontal portions of the rails C, thus preventing said rails tilting over.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown the main or supporting frame provided with two sets or pairs of angle-irons B only and have illustrated them as being secured in position by means of the set-screws b, passing through the collars Z); but I may secure them on the main frame in any desired manner and may employ any number of said rails. Y

lVhile I have shown the main or supporting frame made of four pieces coupled together at their ends, yet I may make it of one piece or any other desired construction.

To use my hanger, the swiveled ring a is placed on a suitable support, usually the hook of a Wheel or trolley on an elevated rail, when the pieces of meat may be suspended, as above stated, on the rails O and the thuslbaded hanger transferred to the desired point.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination with the main or supp0rt ing frame, of the angle-rails Vertically adjustable thereon, and the angle-rails having teeth or projections formed in one of their edges, and movably supported on the firstnamed an gle-rails, whereby said rails may be arranged in series, and moved or shifted relatively to each other, substantially as described.

JOHN J. FITZGERALD. lVitnesses:

CHAS. O. TILLMAN, O. L. PLUMTREE. 

